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April 28, 2006May 1 - "A Day Without Immigrants" Boycott
The holiday commemorates the Haymarket Riot of 1886 in Chicago, Illinois, where union activists called a one day general strike to demand that the workday be limited to eight hours. After violence erupted during the protests, eight innocent men were arrested for conspiracy. Judge Joseph E. Gary imposed the death sentence on seven of them and the eighth was given fifteen years in prison. The court held that the "inflammatory speeches and publications" of these eight incited the actions of the mob. The Illinois and U.S. Supreme Courts upheld the verdict. Worldwide appeals for clemency for the condemned Haymarket martyrs led to the establishment of May 1st as an International Workers' Day. The irony is that although May Day has been commemorated as a labor holiday in many countries, it was never adopted in the United States. Until, perhaps, now... This year there WILL be marches, protests and rallies in the U.S. to support working men and women... but in this case the emphasis will be on immigrant workers! On Monday, May 1st, all across the nation thousands of people will take to the streets to pressure the U.S. Congress to legalize millions of undocumented workers and to reject draconian legislation (HR-4437) that would criminalize those same workers. An integral part of the protests on this day will be a boycott known as "A Day Without Immigrants” or “The Great American Boycott 2006”. The idea is for immigrants to refrain from shopping, working or going to school. Organizers say they want to show how much immigrants, including close to 12 million undocumented ones, contribute with their labor and with their buying power. The California State Senate voted today to endorse the planned boycott by a 24-to-13 (you can guess how many Democrats and how many Republicans there are on the State Senate): The State Senate approved a resolution that calls the one-day protest the “Great American Boycott 2006” and describes it as an attempt to educate Americans “about the tremendous contribution immigrants make on a daily basis to our society and economy.” [CBS] Even businesses nation-wide are rearranging their schedules to accommodate the protests. Which, in itself, is a clear example of the impact that immigrant workers have on U.S. industry: Tyson Foods Inc., the world’s largest meat producer, says it will temporarily shut down five of its nine beef plants in the United States and four of six pork plants Monday. But that’s not all... the boycott has “crossed the border” and will be a prominent feature of the traditional “Primero de Mayo” (May 1st) protests in Mexico, Guatemala, and many other countries. As the Guatemalan progressive political party Alianza Nueva Nación (New Nation Alliance) stated in their press release: This is an opportune moment to express our rejection of CAFTA, the Free Trade Agreement with the United States, and also our most energetic condemnation of the immigration laws which would classify our family members as criminals. We stand in solidarity with our families, friends and loved ones as they struggle to survive in “el norte”. I would like to clear up one common misunderstanding that I’m reading in a lot of blogs and even some newspaper articles. This boycott is not anti-american, but rather pro-immigrant. The boycott doesn’t pretend to drive the mighty US to its economic knees in 24 hours, but rather hopes to portray immigrants for what they are: a vital life force helping to shape this ever-changing nation. As Tom Hansen, founder and director of the Mexico Solidarity Network, puts it: "The idea is to change hearts and minds," he said, "and to give immigrants a sense of their power. This is particularly important for a group that has been repressed and exploited for so long, on both sides of the border. A change in the collective appreciation of what is possible is the real goal of the boycott." I invite all of you to join in these May 1st activities. March in the streets, attend a rally, or enjoy one of the many planned cultural events. And, at the very least, support the boycott by curtailing your purchases this Monday. Here's a list of some of the planned events throughout the nation. Let me know if, and how, you plan to participate on this upcoming “International Workers' Day”! Resources: Chicago Public Library: “The Haymarket Riot” The New Standard: “Support Builds for Immigration Protests, Boycott” IDEM: “ANN - Convocatoria para el Primero de Mayo” Tags: Guatemala, Immigrant, Boycott, Immigration, News Posted by elcanche at April 28, 2006 11:45 AMComments
RObert, thank you fro bringing this to light - as I too will join the march in Union Square NY - I am a U.S. Citizen & so is my daughter but my parents & whole family is from Guate - some of my lucky family members are here legally and some are not - it is a time when we all have to stick together - as a whole - there is so much venom being directed @ the Latino community here in Long Island -it befuddles me that some of my co-workers look @ me like I'm crazy - they say 'the mexicans' 'the wetbacks' & do not stop to think that it is so offensive & hurful to hear those terms because they are talking about MY PEOPLE - people need to be INFORMED & EDUCATED about the facts - there are so many misconceptions like, that immigrants (legal or illegal) are here for handouts- they just want a right to earn a living - yes they came illegally, and a law was broken - deporting & criminalizing everyone is not going to solve anything - we have to come to a compromise - It is ludicrous that all the open racism toward the Latino community is tolerated - don't people know that's only part of the problem? We are not responsible for the war that is going on, BUSH IS, we are not responsible for the price of gas $3.20 a gallon - BUSH IS, we are not responsible for the GREAT AMERICAN OBESITY EPIDEMIC - we are not responsible for your kids being dysfunctional - we are not responsible for un-affordable housing in L.I., the government is using us a big smoke screen for what is truly hurting this country - we want to assimilate but still preserve out culture - people complain about the language, but I don't hear them complaining that the muslim, hindu, african, irish, italian, korean, chinese, japanese communities do the same - it is only being directed one way and that is an atrocity to stand by and watch our BROTHERS & SISTERS get trampled because they do not have a legal voice. Ah, just had to get that off my chest! - I do not expect you to allow this to post to your site, but if you want to know what the vast majority of US citizens are thinking...here it is: I'm going to write this very dillusioned person and tell him a few things. Firstly, if you don't live in this country, keep your opinions to yourself. Secondly, they're ILLEGAL ALIENS..not undocumented workers. The very first thing they ever did in the America was to become a felon by illegally crossing the borders. And how nice are we? We put water in the desert for these poor souls who are trying desperately to escape their beloved homeland. Draconian legislation...if you vote, then you can spew your U.N. approved rhetoric. I don't know who the next leader of this country will be, but I sure hope that it's someone with courage enough to tell the poor countries of the world and those who constantly want to criticize us(until some natural disaster occurs...then they all want our money to help them out and complain that it's never enough)just shut up! “A lot of immigrants are not eligible to vote, but we have the purchasing power,” said Salvador Cervantes, a member of the Chicago organizing coalition. - Nor do they pay taxes, but yet they drain our social services programs and financially ruin our hospitals because they expect free treatment when sick or injured. “We say a day without shopping is good; going to speeches, going marches is good. But stopping work – a day without workers will close the country. A day without goods going in and out of the ports and airports of the US, and we’ll have a policy change within a week”, said Los Angeles attorney and organizer Jim DeMaegt. [The New Standard] - What a idiot this guy must feel like today...close the country? Hardly! Policy change within a week? Ha! The sad truth, for them, is that it did very little and affected very few of us...in fact, I can honestly say that I didn't see ANYTHING about it on television. "This is an opportune moment to express our rejection of CAFTA, the Free Trade Agreement with the United States, and also our most energetic condemnation of the immigration laws which would classify our family members as criminals. We stand in solidarity with our families, friends and loved ones as they struggle to survive in “el norte”." - they ARE criminals. And really...who cares if you vote against CAFTA...it wasn't about your country anyway. These people just don't get it. We should build a wall along the Southern border and wait to see what happens. There would be massive demonstrations in THEIR countries because they would be forced to do something about the inequality that exists between the elite and the average citizen. There would be civil wars ...without a doubt. Our problem is that we're too nice. We give too much...of ourselves, our money and our rights, to make everyone feel welcome. Well, I'm tired of it and I'm not the only one. California and the rest of the libs had better wake up and get a grip on how the real citizens of this country feel or there may very well be another civil war here. I'm sure you think the rhetoric that you tout on your website is viewed as courageous...insightful and superior. If you want to be courageous, let this post and then answer the questions that will follow... Posted by: Paul at May 5, 2006 08:45 AMPaul, I've written a fairly extensive reply to your comment and posted it here: http://www.elcanche.com/weblog/archives/000442.html or you can click on May 8th! Thanks.... Rob Posted by: Rob "El Canche" at May 9, 2006 12:27 AM |
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On May 1st much of the world celebrates International Workers' Day. Massive marches, protests and rallies are held to recognize the efforts, and voice the demands, of the working class.
